Soft Launch
Krafton expands Dark and Darker Mobile soft launch to the US
The title is described as a medieval dark fantasy extraction RPG set in perilous dungeons
Dubai Investment Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 powering global investment, fueling games innovation
Discover how Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 powered by PG Connects is shaping the future as a destination for games investment
New Studio
NextBeat CEO Simon Hade on spinning out from Space Ape Games and a “music-first” future
The team intends to launch a rock and mental focused rhythm game as well as creating new music games and having a focus on wellness and education
Leadership Change
Sony appoints Hideaki Nishino as president and CEO ushering in a new era for PlayStation
Hideaki Nishino will now be sole CEO after previously sharing responsibility with Herman Hulst
Web3 Way
Pixion reaches $12.4m in total investments for web3 RPG Fableborne
The latest round was led by Delphi Ventures with further support from Animoca Brands, Sky Mavis and more
Jobs In Games
Ten Square Games taps Dayan E. Yar as new chief product officer
He will focus on revitalising the company's flagship titles through product development, live ops, and innovation
Tenuous Tiktok
Rumour: Microsoft is in talks to purchase TikTok, says Trump
President Donald Trump has claimed several companies have "great interest" in TikTok, including Microsoft
Acqusitions
Pocket Worlds acquires AI-driven UGC platform Infinite Canvas
The team will now focus on innovation within Highrise, Pocket Worlds' flagship platform
Resolution Revolution
Resolution Games celebrates 10 years and over 30 million players across VR, mobile and more
The Swedish developer has just launched its third Apple Vision Pro title, Gears & Goo
Hybrid Monetisation
Hybrid Monetisation: A Comprehensive Guide for App Developers in 2025
In today's diverse mobile market, no single monetisation strategy fits all apps - GeeMee explains why hybrid monetisation should be on every developers radar in 2025
Game Cancellation
Nexon cancels Warhammer RPG in development with Thought Pennies
The game was planned for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms
Loads Of Layoffs
Moon Active reportedly lays off "dozens" of staff despite "record revenues exceeding $2 billion" in 2024
Employees are believed to have been impacted in Israel and across Moon Active’s worldwide sites
Ad Strategy
The key to success: How top 100 downloaded games implement interstitial ads and related in-app purchases
GameBiz Consulting’s Božo Janković shares a deep analysis on ad implementation practices
Esports Growth
Garena unveils 2025 Free Fire esports roadmap with a focus on talent growth
Two major international events will take the spotlight later this year in Jakarta Indonesia
Layoffs
Phoenix Labs cuts “majority" of staff amid second restructuring
The Dauntless developer laid off 140 employees last year and cancelled ongoing projects
Polar Night Pulled
Atelier Resleriana to end global services after just 14 months
The latest entry in the Atelier series has earned almost $57.7 million on mobile worldwide 90% of which has come from players in Japan
Charity Collaboration
3% of Monument Valley 3’s profits will go to IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund for next three years
ustwo games and the IFRC will partner to help players learn about flood relief efforts worldwide
Ai Advances
Practical AI: How Sifor Games harnessed genAI tools to build its games
"AI can help level the playing field for indie developers"
Cloud Service Closure
Cloud gaming subscription service Utomik closes
The platform first launched its cloud gaming service, Utomik Cloud, on Android devices in 2022
Layoffs
Ubisoft shuts down Leamington studio with 185 Job cuts across Europe
The cuts will impact staff from Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Düsseldorf
Partnership
Homa and Gnarly Game Studio on surpassing 100m downloads through the power of collaboration
Homa and Gnarly Game Studio released the action FPS game Agent Hunt and Frontline Heroes together
Publishing
Former Gearbox president Steve Gibson launches Cooldown Games
The new publisher is on the lookout for promising game developers and projects to bring to market
Ea Estimates
EA lowers estimates for FY2025 after Global Football’s Q3 "slowdown"
EA’s net bookings prediction for FY2025 has adjusted from a maximum $7.8 billion down to $7.15 billion
Successful Sleep
Pokémon Sleep snoozes past $140m in time for 1.5 year anniversary
The Pokémon sleep tracker has slowed down in earnings these past six months with fewer Legendary events
Marvellous Mena
Games Majlis unites experts to transform Middle East mobile games industry
The initiative is led by industry veteran Mohamed El Sheakh alongside 20 founding members
Ecosystem Examination
UK’s CMA to investigate Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems "in parallel"
These two investigations form the second of three "areas of digital activity" the CMA intends to examine
New Partnerships
Scopely's Monopoly Go! partners with Six Nations Rugby for 2025 championships
The collaboration will also feature Monopoly Go activations at Stade de France during matches
Hot Five
Hot Five: Hay Day’s "growth virality", Pokémon TCG Pocket’s biggest expansion yet, and the hottest topics on PGC London panels
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week In Views
PGC London’s hot topics from GTA 6 hype to insights on AI, alternative app stores and UA | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Pgc London Takeaways
Five takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025: Optimism for the year ahead with mobile to lead the charge
We look at some of the most talked about topics as this year's Pocket Gamer Connects London
Stepping Down
Warner Bros. games president David Haddad to step down after 12 years
He will remain in his role for the next three months as the company looks for his replacement
Milestone
Hypercasual publisher Homa surpasses 2 billion downloads
Sky Roller, Merge Master, and Attack Hole account for 21% of its total downloads
Epic Payout
Epic Games paid $352 million to Fortnite creators in 2024
58 creators earned over $1m
New Approvals
China approves 136 new games including Tencent’s upcoming Honour of Kings: World
The latest game approvals include 123 domestic titles and 13 foreign games
Jobs In Games
Leanne Loombe joins Annapurna as executive VP and head of games
She will report to the firm's president of interactive and new media Hector Sanchez
Five New Games
New release roundup: A Kindling Forest, Tengami, Hardcore Leveling Warrior and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
New Partnerships
Epic Games covers Apple’s core technology fee and partners with Playdigious to bring third-party titles to its store
The distribution deal will generate revenue through 2025
Space-time Smackdown
Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Space-Time Smackdown will shift to 2000s nostalgia with 140+ new cards
The next expansion will jump from Generation 1 to Generation 4 and is set to monetise Sinnoh fans
New Galaxy
Galaxy S25 packs a 40% boost in ray tracing performance for gamers
Samsung claims the new CPU offers up to 5x stronger performance and “smoother graphics rendering”
Partnership Power
Pokémon TCG Pocket partners with McDonald’s as player spending hits record low
Players in the US can earn Pack Hourglasses and Wonder Hourglasses with their Happy Meal purchase
New Partnerships
Pocketpair partners with Surgent Studios to develop upcoming horror title
The game is set to launch in 2025 and will be a standalone title
Pocket Gamer Connects
PG Connects San Francisco - Super Early Bird Ticket offer ends Monday!
Save up to $400 if you book before midnight on the 27th
Brand Boost
Team17 Group rebrands to everplay after "improved" performance in H2 2024
Team1, Astragon and StoryToys will remain distinct developers and publishers under the rebranded parent company
Jobs In Games
Nordcurrent recruits Ada Mockutė Jaime as new chief marketing officer
She will oversee global brand identity, player engagement, and marketing strategies
Event Report
PG Connects London 2025 a sold out smash hit!
More than 2,600 games industry attendees from over 65 countries and 6 continents
New Appointment
Savvy Games Group taps Nika Nour as new SVP and head of international business development
Her career spans Congressional Affairs, digital advocacy, and leadership in the games industry
Mobile Growth
Mobile app downloads hit 136 billion in 2024 as revenue surges to $150bn
Users spent 4.2 trillion hours on mobile apps last year a 5.8% YoY increase
Pgc London 2025
PGC panel talks privacy, first-party data and avoiding a "last minute scramble"
PGC London panellists discuss privacy changes, the Digital Markets Act, ATT and the value of first-party data
Pgc London 2025
"Only 27% of people describe their manager as highly effective": Learning to lead, retain employees, and free up time
Leadership development trainer Andy Coley talks nurturing problem-solving and freeing up managers’ time
Pgc London 2025
"The number one job of narrative is to make a game less weird"
MY.GAMES head of narrative Armando Troisi talks the interaction between gameplay and narrative